5-minute guide to Instagram

Why would I want to use it?

You can take, edit and then share pictures with your friends, straight from your smartphone or tablet. One of its best features is that you can use special filters to make snaps of your star bakes or snoozing cats look professional.

As well as posting photographs, you can ‘follow’ the photo stream of other people, including some celebrities, and have your own followers.

How do I get started?

Firstly, you’ll need to download the free app. To do this, just go to your phone’s app store and search for ‘Instagram’. Once it’s downloaded, you’ll need to create an account, add a profile picture and write a mini-bio about yourself.

What do I post?

Anything you like. To post, either select a snap you’ve already got or take a new photo by clicking on the blue camera button at the bottom of your screen. Then edit your photo, give it a caption and ‘share’. You can also add tags that help people find your posts, such as #flower or #cookery.

Food, animals and landscape shots tend to be popular, but just post whatever interests you. You can also shoot and share short video clips. While you own any photos you post, bear in mind that Instagram and its partners do have the right to use your snaps for free for any purpose. Instagram’s privacy policy also insists that you only post original photos, meaning you can’t repost someone else’s pics.

What else can I do?

Instagram is a great way to stay up-to-date with what your friends are doing, so make sure you’re following them. Just go to your profile tab (the icon which looks like a head) and select ‘Find Contacts’, which searches through your phone’s contact list, or manually search their username. Once you’re following them, their photos will appear in your newsfeed and you can ‘like’ or comment on what they post.

Is it safe?

Your profile and snaps can be seen by anyone until you change your settings to private, then only people you approve to follow you will be able to see your posts. Think carefully about who will be seeing your posts before adding something that reveals exactly where you are, or sharing photos of the grandchildren.

Who should I follow?

To help you get started, why not follow Yours magazine’s instagram feed where the Yours team upload recipes, craft and fun pictures?

Find us by typing @yours_magazine into the search bar or try our other ideas: @jamieoliver for tasty cooking ideas from the celebrity chef@natgeo for stunning wildlife and landscapes across the globe@biddythehedgehog follow this cute hedgehog on his daily antics!@happsters for instantly uplifting quotes and pics.